Altar

The chapel at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Cañada sits atop a hill overlooking Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. The chapel?s hardwood floor creaks when walked on. Its Mediterranean architecture is defined by wide arches, stuccoed wall surfaces and tiled roof. Walking through the chapel, once can sense that this was once a place of luxury, outdone only by the people who stayed there. Although the school?s chapel is only one of many rooms that make up the former Flintridge Hotel which opened in 1926 ?

The 23rd Annual Day of the Dead Altars and Ephemera Exhibition is on view at The Folk Tree from Oct. 7 through Nov. 4. The show features traditional and other altars as well as work by local artists and Mexican folk art commemorating this major holiday. The public is invited to a reception on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 6 p.m. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which falls on Nov. 1 and 2, is a Mexican holiday honoring the dead. Ritualized worship of the dead has been practiced in Mexico since at least 1800 B.C. The modern holiday is a combination of pre-Hispanic and Catholic influences.

On Aug. 10, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon at the Armenian Apostolic Church of La Cañada and Crescenta Valley. Archpriest Father Hovsep Hagopian, the parish priest, served the altar for this special occasion. During the three-hour long service, Derderian ordained Martin Zakaryan as a deacon. Also ordained were Gary Sarafian and Alan Janoyan as sub-deacons.

Nick Sercel and Andrew Nettles, students at St. Bede the Venerable Catholic School, were recently recognized as distinguished service award winners by local branch 374 of the Italian Catholic Federation. Branch President Al Restivo, and First Vice President Mark Mannarelli presented checks for $100 each to the young men at two meetings of ICF held in February and March at the St. Bede Parish Center. The boys were also presented with a framed certificate, which honored them for their distinguished service to their community, church and school.

The congregation of the Armenian Apostolic Church of La Crescenta and La Cañada celebrated Palm Sunday with traditional Armenian prayers and ceremonies at Lanterman Auditorium. Incense filled the room, and the altar was flanked with palm leaves, which are a sign of triumph and victory in the time of Jesus. Archpriest Father Hovsep Hagopian led the Palm Sunday service. After the procession, in a special ceremony called "Teruhnpatz," Hagopian and a deacon asked God to open the gates of heaven to the congregation and accept them into his heart.

Ten Years Ago After sitting vacant for several years, the former bank building at the northwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Oakwood Avenue reopened with a new look and four new tenants, including a frame store. It was rumored that the women's clothing chain, Chico's, would also move into the building. Twenty Years Ago Employees at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were cheering after the successful Aug. 10, 1992, launch of the French-U.S. TOPEX-Poseidon satellite, which would study circulation in the world's oceans and their effect on climatic conditions for more than three years.

Ten Years Ago Then-La Cañada Flintridge Mayor Carol Liu, a Democrat, announced her candidacy for the 44th Assembly District, a seat then held by Jack Scott. Today, Liu serves as the state senator for Senate District 21, which includes this city. Twenty Years Ago Wearing small black ribbons, La Cañada teachers called attention to their dissatisfaction with their salary scales by walking out on a luncheon provided by the La Cañada Unified School District. The mild protest took place during an in-service day meeting at Descanso Gardens.

The second annual Commemoration of Our Lady of Guadalupe will take place on her Feast Day, Dec. 12, at the St Bede the Venable Catholic Church in La Cañada Flintridge at 215 Foothill Blvd. The Mariachi celebration of Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. A Fiesta celebration will follow the Mass and will include samples of Latin American dishes. The commemoration event was organized by Our Lady of Guadalupe committees, led by Angie Prime, with concurrence of the St Bede Pastor, Monsignor Jim Gehl.

In the Mailbag section of the Dec. 19 Valley Sun a letter writer extolled the proposed zoning changes slated for La Cañada . I have to assume that said writer does not live in any of the areas affected by those proposed changes. Her next-to-last paragraph read: “The slight, if any, decrease in real estate values should be considered a badge of honor rather than a catastrophe among we who materially have so much.” She, obviously, is not among those who need to maintain or, with good fortune, even slightly increase every penny of real estate value accrued to our property.

The chapel at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Cañada sits atop a hill overlooking Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. The chapel?s hardwood floor creaks when walked on. Its Mediterranean architecture is defined by wide arches, stuccoed wall surfaces and tiled roof. Walking through the chapel, once can sense that this was once a place of luxury, outdone only by the people who stayed there. Although the school?s chapel is only one of many rooms that make up the former Flintridge Hotel which opened in 1926 ?

The 23rd Annual Day of the Dead Altars and Ephemera Exhibition is on view at The Folk Tree from Oct. 7 through Nov. 4. The show features traditional and other altars as well as work by local artists and Mexican folk art commemorating this major holiday. The public is invited to a reception on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 6 p.m. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which falls on Nov. 1 and 2, is a Mexican holiday honoring the dead. Ritualized worship of the dead has been practiced in Mexico since at least 1800 B.C. The modern holiday is a combination of pre-Hispanic and Catholic influences.